Windows in Time

I rushed inside and slammed the door behind me as I escaped the cold. Unopened mail littered the floor, the unmistakable mess of a man who hadn’t been home for quite some time.

The house was as cold as a freezer. I kept my coat on as I adjusted the thermostat. I started the heat and smelt the dust burn as the heat began to waft through the vent.

Satisfied, I passed by the living room where the furniture sit covered by white sheets, past the closed door of the first floor bedroom, and made my way into the dark kitchen. I flipped on the lights and took stock of the mess before me.

The kitchen counter was a scattered cavalcade of old food and dishes. The beaten up wooden dining room table sagged under the weight of stacks of newspapers and years old yellow pages. I lingered on the old headlines of the newspapers when a small white light illuminated in the dark past the dining room. I pushed into the breakfast nook. There, lying dormant on a built-in wooden desk, was an old PC.

I plopped down into the shredded office chair. The dark yellow foam was disintegrating at a rapid rate exposing the wood frame underneath. I pressed the power button in the lower right hand corner and the machine stuttered and whirred to life with a cough and a wheeze like it had emphysema.

The screen illuminated and then greeted me with a black loading screen. A glance to my left later and the blue Windows screen had burst forth from the ether. My old user profile and shaggy haired picture popped up in the center of the screen. I dutifully clicked and was prompted with a request for a password. Luckily for me, I still remembered being fifteen and the satisfaction I got from being the most clever teenager on earth.

I typed in PASSWORD.

Suddenly, the room began to spin and the world was filled with bright explosions of white light all around me. I closed my eyes and waited for whatever the hell this was to pass. It had been a long week, I needed some sleep.

When the spinning had stopped, I popped one eye open for a peek. The computer was still on in front of me but the room was now pitch black. It was warmer than just minutes before and the faint smell of what I thought smelt like Dad’s meatloaf hung around like a heavy handed cologne.

Scanning over the screen, the bottom right hand corner caught my eye. The read May 25th, 1999.

“Funny,” I said out loud. Probably the last time this dinosaur traversed the Earth.

A low ping sounded from the speakers as a notification appeared in the lower left hand corner. I clicked on the little yellow man icon. A window I hadn’t seen in over 25 years appeared in the center of the screen. A green dot appeared next to the name “sexyman777”.

“Wassup” the message said.

The computer pinged once more.

“xoxoalexa” sent “You’re up? :)”

A shuffle escaped from in the hall near the living room. I stood and instinctively shut off the computer’s screen. Silence fell once again.

PING.

I reached for the keyboard and slammed down on the lower volume button. The shuffling intensified, growing closer with each second that passed. My heart raced. Who the hell was in the house?

The light flicked on and my jaw almost hit the floor.

“What are you doing up?” he asked as I stood slack jawed eyeing the middle aged man in front of me.

PING.

“Thought so,” he said as he laughed and pointed at the computer.

I didn’t move a muscle, let alone say a word. What the hell was happening? Was this a dream? Definitely had to be a dream right?

He furrowed his brow and moved towards me. “Hello, Earth to Shane.”

Tears welled up in my eyes as he stepped closer.

“You alright there bud, what’s up?”

I jumped forward and wrapped him in a bear hug.

“Whoa,” he chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me. He felt warm and his robe smelt of old spice and B.O..

I let him go and stepped back, reveling in what I was seeing.

“How are you here? We just had the service this morning…” I said as

I sniffled and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.

“What do you mean? What service?” he asked. He raised his eyebrows in confusion.

My eyes glanced right and that’s when I saw it in the glass door of the microwave. When I expected to see the slightly wrinkled face, purple bags under my eyes, and world weary expression, I was met with the dumbfounded youthful gaze of yesteryear. I let out a heavy chortle as I groped at my peach fuzz covered cheeks.

“Did you find my stash again? What’s going on?” he said as his expression turned from amusement to slight worry.

Tearing my focus from my sudden youth, I looked my Dad up and down.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.

I shook my head. I couldn't speak, still too overcome by the mere prospect of being face to face with him again.

He opened the freezer and threw a massive plastic tub onto the tan granite counter top. He reached into the nearest cabinet and pulled two blue bowls out. He held one up at me. I nodded.

We took a seat at the spotless wooden dining room table, a fresh lacquer of deep brown paint glistening under the bright lighting.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

Halfway through our bowls he stared me down and smiled.

“What’s gotten into you?” he asked with a wry smile.

I smiled and fought back more tears. I sighed. “It’s nothing Dad. Just good to see you.”

“You keep saying that but I just saw you not even two hours ago,” he said with a chuckle and a shake of the head.

“I know, I know,” I said, “just feels like longer.” I couldn’t believe how healthy and vibrant he looked. It’s amazing how the last year had clouded my vision of what he had been.

We ate the rest of our bowls in silence. The chair scraped against the tile floor as he stood to grab our bowls. He placed them in the sink and leaned on the counter.

“You heading to bed? You do have school tomorrow you know?”

“Yeah, I know Dad,” I said as I tried to smile through more tears.

“Good night son,” he said as he turned to leave the kitchen.

“Dad wait!” I yelled as I jumped from the chair. He turned at the threshold to the hallway and faced me.

When I reached him, I wrapped him in one more hug. “I love you Dad,” I whispered and squeezed him with all my strength.

“I love you too son,” he said.

I stood at the threshold watching him trudge through the darkness on his way up the stairs to his room. I heard the door latch closed.

I walked back to the breakfast nook, threw myself into the chair, and wept like a newborn.

The computer pinged again. I pressed the power button. Prompted once again with a request for my password, I didn’t move. The cursor stood at the ready. I blew out a breathe and typed in the word.

In an instant, the white lights and the spinning commenced and I closed my eyes.

When I felt it all stopped, I sat there, afraid to move.

I finally opened my eyes and found myself back in the disheveled remains of the present. I looked back at the computer screen. Next to my profile was his. I moved the cursor and clicked.

No password prompt appeared. His wallpaper filled the screen.

There we were again, smiling.

Was it a dream? Was it real?

It didn’t matter.

I smiled and pressed the power button.